Supanova 2015
Jul. 24th, 2015 12:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
meteordustSo a couple of weekends ago, I went to Supanova in Sydney. It was a whirlwind of a day, catching up with friends and checking out panels and browsing the stalls.
Jason Isaacs and Bonnie Wright
They shared the stage so they interviewed each other, starting with the question, "What's the question you hate always being asked?"
For Bonnie, it was, "What was it like to kiss Harry Potter?" When you're filming on set in front of all these people, it's the polar opposite of romantic.
For Jason, it was, "How did you get the part?" Because usually the answer is boring, "My agent called me, and I read the script."
Jason originally read for Gilderoy Lockheart, but was also asked to read for Lucius Malfoy. When he was offered the role, he was reluctant to take it, because he had recently played Captain Hook and didn't want to play another bad guy. But all the children of his family and friends insisted, "Not because they cared about my career, but because they wanted to visit the set."
The initial character design for Lucius featured short hair and a pinstriped suit. But Jason was really keen on having a wig with long hair ("Because he's a wizard!") and robes ("Because he hates Muggles!") and a cane (just because).
What was it like to be suddenly very famous? Bonnie said there was camaraderie and shared experience, all of them were the same age, they went through school and uni, and they didn't miss out on any rites of passage.
If you could relive a day on set, which would you choose? Bonnie said the first day, meeting the rest of the Weasley family. She remembered being 9 and 3/4 and standing on Platform 9 and 3/4.
During the scene in Dumbledore's office, Jason felt that Lucius needed an exit line, and improvised, "Let us hope that Mr Potter will always be around to save the day." And Daniel Radcliffe improvised back, "Don't worry, I will be." And Jason got chills.
Did James and Oliver play pranks on set? Bonnie said everybody did. Daniel Radcliffe often switched languages on people's phones.
What scenes from the books would you have liked in the films? Bonnie said there were Triwizard Tournament scenes outside the classroom that were filmed but not included. Jason said that he and Gary Oldman improvised a whole duel during the wand battle in the veil room, but it was cut to about one second long. The director said, "It would be fine if I was making a movie called Lucius versus Sirius. But I have another story I need to tell."
Jason said that, unlike actors who were playing the same note throughout the movies, his character had a huge journey of transformation, and it was like getting a five course banquet.
Bonnie said that her journey was from innocent little sister, to part of Dumbledore's Army.
Behind the Scenes of Mad Max: Fury Road: Greg van Borssum and Mark Sexton
Greg was the lead fight choreographer and Mark was the principal storyboard artist on Mad Max: Fury Road. Also with them was Mason, a cute little kid who played one of the War Pups.
The panel started with a screening of behind the scenes footage, including stunts practised first on stationary vehicles and then on moving vehicles, and a rehearsal of the post-storm fight between Max, Furiosa, Nux, and the Wives. It still boggles me to think that so many of the stunts were done live and not in CGI.
The fight scenes started with a storyboard, not a script, because this was an action film. Mark spent two years drawing scenes. Greg spent three weeks working on the post-storm fight.
There was no script, but there was a written document about how the story would play out. It was a world at the edge of collapse. Life was being wiped out by this toxic world. The religion was about cars. Cars were immortal, because they lasted longer than human beings. The War Boys led a half life and would die by thirty. Everyone wanted to be a machine. For example, Nux had scarification depicting an engine block.
The fighting style was based on the storytelling, with the characters doing what they could to survive. It was simplistic fighting, no fancy kicks: just knock someone off a moving vehicle and they're a hundred miles behind you. Dirty moves and quick fights.
The feminist movement has taken up the movie, how much of that direction was influenced by you and the others? It's very much Furiosa's story. Max is inert, reluctantly dragged in. Furiosa is authentic, pragmatic, and wants to survive. It wasn't intentionally feminist, but it organically happened. Also, editor Margaret Sixel had strong opinions, and brought those to the table.
There were two deleted scenes that will be on the bluray release. These were scenes that didn't make sense in the cut or slowed it down. One of them is what happens to Miss Giddy.
One scene that was never filmed was set in the bog where the crows and stilt people lived. It would have involved a fight with people wearing helicopter backpacks. It was decided that the scene was not required and would be gratuitous.
George Miller insisted that the flamethrower guitar be playable. iOTA, the Doof Warrior, said that musically it was the worst guitar he had ever played.
Why muscle cars? Modern cars wouldn't last. Their computerised systems would fail in the dust, and no one would be able to fix them. So you need pre-1980s cars. The cars in the movie are machines built for war. They didn't want vehicles with crumple zones, they wanted vehicles that were solid metal you could ram into things and climb all over. They also look pretty good.
Lady Creators Assemble! Alisha Jade, Samantha Calcraft, Komala Singh, Karen Beilharz, Alana Bruyn
A panel discussion by local women comics creators. Some of the highlights:
Question: If you currently don't make comics for a living, why not, and if you could, would you?
Alisha: When you need to pay the mortgage, the choices you make creatively are limited, whereas indies get freedom of choice.
Samantha: For some people who do it for a living, it becomes a job, and they start disliking it.
Komala: Doing commercial art meant 60 hour weeks, where she wouldn't feel like drawing when she got home. A different job, where she isn't drawing for a living, means that now leaves creativity for herself.
Karen: She would love to work as an editor in comics, putting books together and working with creators. (How to become an editor in comics? Right now, the typical answer is start a publishing company.)
Alana: She likes a line between her day job and comics for fun.
Question: What would you like to see more of in the local scene?
Alisha: Specialised roles, in contrast to the creator doing everything. For example, publishing support for people new to comics.
Samantha: Getting paid better, especially since women are trained to be submissive. Being better connected and knowing what other people are getting paid.
Komala: More women in gatekeeper roles, like running conventions and moderating panels. When considering getting into comics, seeing a woman at the top is inspiring.
Karen: Diversity of stories, distribution of comics, and more female creators at Supanova as guests.
Alana: Female creators feeling more comfortable having a voice.
Also discussion of process; influences; how to stay motivated; and the importance of having a reliable release schedule, keeping in touch with other people with same passion, setting reasonable goals and finishing stuff. A valuable resource: Women in Aus Comics.
Shopping
I picked up Part 2 of science fiction comic Eternal Life, the Zombie Cities anthology (includes a Sydney zombie apocalypse!), a graphic novel about two cat families called Tabby, a cute childhood adventure oneshot called The Shroom Squisher, and an adorable Ghibli Road t-shirt.
I was also tempted by WETA's parchment art print of Thorin's map from The Hobbit, with the hidden runes printed in high gloss varnish, close to invisible until you tilt the map in the light. A brilliant idea.
Pop! Vinyls were everywhere, but I restrained myself. I get that feeling that if I start collecting them, they will rapidly take over my house.
Miscellaneous
Other things I enjoyed:
* The interactive graphic novel The Boat, about a girl's journey as a refugee from Vietnam to Australia. Moving and intense.
* The collaborative Pieces Project, a graphic novel created by 94 artists from 17 countries, drawing one panel each, and making up the story as they went along. The entire project was exhibited on the balcony, as well as the first few pages of the sequel.
* The promos for the themed adventure attraction Escape Hunt, where you get to play detective and solve mysteries with your friends. It reminds me of the How To Host a Murder games.
Photos
Baby Wolverine, Mum Poison Ivy, and Dad Thor.
Glinda from Wicked.
Thor, Loki, and Steve.
Gabrielle and Xena.
Bard and Thranduil.
Ned Stark.
Jason Isaacs and Bonnie Wright
They shared the stage so they interviewed each other, starting with the question, "What's the question you hate always being asked?"
For Bonnie, it was, "What was it like to kiss Harry Potter?" When you're filming on set in front of all these people, it's the polar opposite of romantic.
For Jason, it was, "How did you get the part?" Because usually the answer is boring, "My agent called me, and I read the script."
Jason originally read for Gilderoy Lockheart, but was also asked to read for Lucius Malfoy. When he was offered the role, he was reluctant to take it, because he had recently played Captain Hook and didn't want to play another bad guy. But all the children of his family and friends insisted, "Not because they cared about my career, but because they wanted to visit the set."
The initial character design for Lucius featured short hair and a pinstriped suit. But Jason was really keen on having a wig with long hair ("Because he's a wizard!") and robes ("Because he hates Muggles!") and a cane (just because).
What was it like to be suddenly very famous? Bonnie said there was camaraderie and shared experience, all of them were the same age, they went through school and uni, and they didn't miss out on any rites of passage.
If you could relive a day on set, which would you choose? Bonnie said the first day, meeting the rest of the Weasley family. She remembered being 9 and 3/4 and standing on Platform 9 and 3/4.
During the scene in Dumbledore's office, Jason felt that Lucius needed an exit line, and improvised, "Let us hope that Mr Potter will always be around to save the day." And Daniel Radcliffe improvised back, "Don't worry, I will be." And Jason got chills.
Did James and Oliver play pranks on set? Bonnie said everybody did. Daniel Radcliffe often switched languages on people's phones.
What scenes from the books would you have liked in the films? Bonnie said there were Triwizard Tournament scenes outside the classroom that were filmed but not included. Jason said that he and Gary Oldman improvised a whole duel during the wand battle in the veil room, but it was cut to about one second long. The director said, "It would be fine if I was making a movie called Lucius versus Sirius. But I have another story I need to tell."
Jason said that, unlike actors who were playing the same note throughout the movies, his character had a huge journey of transformation, and it was like getting a five course banquet.
Bonnie said that her journey was from innocent little sister, to part of Dumbledore's Army.
Behind the Scenes of Mad Max: Fury Road: Greg van Borssum and Mark Sexton
Greg was the lead fight choreographer and Mark was the principal storyboard artist on Mad Max: Fury Road. Also with them was Mason, a cute little kid who played one of the War Pups.
The panel started with a screening of behind the scenes footage, including stunts practised first on stationary vehicles and then on moving vehicles, and a rehearsal of the post-storm fight between Max, Furiosa, Nux, and the Wives. It still boggles me to think that so many of the stunts were done live and not in CGI.
The fight scenes started with a storyboard, not a script, because this was an action film. Mark spent two years drawing scenes. Greg spent three weeks working on the post-storm fight.
There was no script, but there was a written document about how the story would play out. It was a world at the edge of collapse. Life was being wiped out by this toxic world. The religion was about cars. Cars were immortal, because they lasted longer than human beings. The War Boys led a half life and would die by thirty. Everyone wanted to be a machine. For example, Nux had scarification depicting an engine block.
The fighting style was based on the storytelling, with the characters doing what they could to survive. It was simplistic fighting, no fancy kicks: just knock someone off a moving vehicle and they're a hundred miles behind you. Dirty moves and quick fights.
The feminist movement has taken up the movie, how much of that direction was influenced by you and the others? It's very much Furiosa's story. Max is inert, reluctantly dragged in. Furiosa is authentic, pragmatic, and wants to survive. It wasn't intentionally feminist, but it organically happened. Also, editor Margaret Sixel had strong opinions, and brought those to the table.
There were two deleted scenes that will be on the bluray release. These were scenes that didn't make sense in the cut or slowed it down. One of them is what happens to Miss Giddy.
One scene that was never filmed was set in the bog where the crows and stilt people lived. It would have involved a fight with people wearing helicopter backpacks. It was decided that the scene was not required and would be gratuitous.
George Miller insisted that the flamethrower guitar be playable. iOTA, the Doof Warrior, said that musically it was the worst guitar he had ever played.
Why muscle cars? Modern cars wouldn't last. Their computerised systems would fail in the dust, and no one would be able to fix them. So you need pre-1980s cars. The cars in the movie are machines built for war. They didn't want vehicles with crumple zones, they wanted vehicles that were solid metal you could ram into things and climb all over. They also look pretty good.
Lady Creators Assemble! Alisha Jade, Samantha Calcraft, Komala Singh, Karen Beilharz, Alana Bruyn
A panel discussion by local women comics creators. Some of the highlights:
Question: If you currently don't make comics for a living, why not, and if you could, would you?
Alisha: When you need to pay the mortgage, the choices you make creatively are limited, whereas indies get freedom of choice.
Samantha: For some people who do it for a living, it becomes a job, and they start disliking it.
Komala: Doing commercial art meant 60 hour weeks, where she wouldn't feel like drawing when she got home. A different job, where she isn't drawing for a living, means that now leaves creativity for herself.
Karen: She would love to work as an editor in comics, putting books together and working with creators. (How to become an editor in comics? Right now, the typical answer is start a publishing company.)
Alana: She likes a line between her day job and comics for fun.
Question: What would you like to see more of in the local scene?
Alisha: Specialised roles, in contrast to the creator doing everything. For example, publishing support for people new to comics.
Samantha: Getting paid better, especially since women are trained to be submissive. Being better connected and knowing what other people are getting paid.
Komala: More women in gatekeeper roles, like running conventions and moderating panels. When considering getting into comics, seeing a woman at the top is inspiring.
Karen: Diversity of stories, distribution of comics, and more female creators at Supanova as guests.
Alana: Female creators feeling more comfortable having a voice.
Also discussion of process; influences; how to stay motivated; and the importance of having a reliable release schedule, keeping in touch with other people with same passion, setting reasonable goals and finishing stuff. A valuable resource: Women in Aus Comics.
Shopping
I picked up Part 2 of science fiction comic Eternal Life, the Zombie Cities anthology (includes a Sydney zombie apocalypse!), a graphic novel about two cat families called Tabby, a cute childhood adventure oneshot called The Shroom Squisher, and an adorable Ghibli Road t-shirt.
I was also tempted by WETA's parchment art print of Thorin's map from The Hobbit, with the hidden runes printed in high gloss varnish, close to invisible until you tilt the map in the light. A brilliant idea.
Pop! Vinyls were everywhere, but I restrained myself. I get that feeling that if I start collecting them, they will rapidly take over my house.
Miscellaneous
Other things I enjoyed:
* The interactive graphic novel The Boat, about a girl's journey as a refugee from Vietnam to Australia. Moving and intense.
* The collaborative Pieces Project, a graphic novel created by 94 artists from 17 countries, drawing one panel each, and making up the story as they went along. The entire project was exhibited on the balcony, as well as the first few pages of the sequel.
* The promos for the themed adventure attraction Escape Hunt, where you get to play detective and solve mysteries with your friends. It reminds me of the How To Host a Murder games.
Photos
Baby Wolverine, Mum Poison Ivy, and Dad Thor.
Glinda from Wicked.
Thor, Loki, and Steve.
Gabrielle and Xena.
Bard and Thranduil.
Ned Stark.
